Srinath Raghavan, Historian

This senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research has a penchant for calling out top leaders of the country for what he believes are distortions of history. As a military historian and a public intellectual, he uses Twitter to deflate fake claims and to punch inflated egos. The former Indian Army officer is also a scholar of security affairs who has established himself as an opinion leader on the subject. His analysis of history is as remarkable as his ability to link the past with present contexts. For this, his books are testimony, 1971: A Global History of India’s War being a case in point. An officer of the Rajputana Rifles for six years from 1997, serving in some of the most conflict-hit parts of the country, he trained as an academic at King’s College London, from where he obtained a PhD in war studies. Associated with think-tanks and universities, Raghavan’s works have won critical acclaim in India and elsewhere. They have also generated much debate. His new book, The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia, expected shortly, is already on the must-read list of analysts and others.

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Public Square

Salman Rushdie, Author | Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political scientist | Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Chairman | Srinath Raghavan, Historian | Ram Madhav, BJP Leader | Swapan Dasgupta, Political commentator and MP | Shashi Tharoor, Scholar Politician | TCA Raghavan, Historian | Ramachandra Guha, Historian | Brahma Chellaney, Strategic thinker | Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox, Asia | Anantha Chandrakasan, Technologist | Gita Gopinath, Economist | Soumya Swaminathan, Paediatrician and clinical scientist | Prasoon Joshi, Poet and Censor Board chairman | Madhav Khosla, Scholar | Sidharth Luthra, Lawyer | Shayara Bano, Triple Talaq Petitioner | Reuben Abraham, Economic Analyst | Pratima Joshi, Architect | Reetika Khera, Economist | Shamika Ravi, Economist | Sharmila Bhattacharya, Scientist | Vijay Prasad, Historian | Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian | Avani Chaturvedi, Fighter Pilot, IAF | Pranshu and Nishant Patni, Entrepreneurs

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Soft Power

Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team | Priyanka Chopra, Actor | Jeet Thayil, Author | Anju Dodiya, Artist | Alia Bhatt, Actor | Rajkummar Rao, Actor | Chetan Bhagat, Author | Jahnvi Dameron Nandan, Perfumer | Rupi Kaur, Poet | Parvathy Thiruvothu, Actor | Sujatha Gidla, Author | Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, Architect | Prayaag Akbar, Author | Ruchika Sachdeva, Fashion Designer | Palghat R Ramprasad, Carnatic musician | Unni R, Author | Kunal Kamra, Comedian | Vikas Khanna, Chef and Television Personality | Shoojit Sircar, Filmmaker | Srikanth Kidambi, Badminton Player | CS Santosh, Off-Road Biking Champion | Mayank Austen Soofi, Author and Blogger | Ratish Nanda, Conservation Architect

1971 WarAmericabookshistorianIndian historySrinath Raghavan